Should the Cuyahoga County Charter be amended to define it as a municipal corporation, thereby ranking Cleveland among the top 10 cities in the nation in terms of population? Although that proposition has its natural proponents and opponents at both the county and municipal levels, here are three ways Cleveland is already considered one of the best cities in the country:
Health Care
In 2018, the medical trade publication Managed Healthcare Executive rated the Cleveland-Elyria area as No. 2 in the nation in terms of health care employment.
U.S. News & World Report rated Cleveland Clinic No. 4 in its 2019/2020 Best Hospitals, as well as No. 1 in cardiology and heart surgery for more than two decades in a row.
University Hospitals also is consistently ranked among the top health care systems in the nation and second-best hospital in the state.
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Seidman Cancer Center are considered among the best in the nation in their respective disciplines.
With its Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, MetroHealth is considered among the busiest and best in the nation for those who need emergency care.
MetroHealth’s Comprehensive Burn Care Center is one of only two in Ohio credentialed by the American Burn Association for the care of adults and children.
Classical Music
Mention classical music to a denizen of Cleveland or Cuyahoga County, and you’ll often hear a response like, “I love Led Zeppelin.” As home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and a storied past that includes concert series like the World Series of Rock in the 1970s, as well as venues like the old Cleveland Agora — it’s only natural.
However, the region’s true classical music scene is anchored by the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra. It’s consistently rated among the top five in the world and top two in the country, losing out No. 1 occasionally to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, according to Gramophone, one of the world’s most respected classical music publications headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Tech Hub
In 2017, Forbes, a publication that has been historically critical of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, said Cleveland had great potential as the next technology hub. That potential is quickly becoming realized.
The region’s three major medical systems are spurring their own medical research. Then, there are startups developing in the East Side’s new High Tech Corridor. Plus, local businessman Bernie Moreno is spearheading Blockland Cleveland, a technology incubator.
All this has caught the attention of the folks at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A recent book called, “Jump-Starting America” by Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber, MIT professors, found that Cleveland ranked sixth out of 102 cities that they consider the “next great technology hub.” The bad news? Columbus and Pittsburgh are slightly ahead.
Can You Think of Any?
Those are but three ways Cleveland already ranks as a top 10 city. And, there are many more examples to add to that list, from the Cleveland Museum of Art and Playhouse Square to the Cleveland Metroparks and West Side Market. Stay tuned as Cleveland Magazine’s Community Leader discusses these top 10 organizations in the future. Can you think of any others? Contact us at communityleader@clevelandmagazine.com.
